UR 158: Masculine Initiation — Chuck DeGroat

Tray is joined by seminary professor Dr. Chuck DeGroat to discuss masculine initiation, his books, his personal journey, and the shame that impacts everyone. Chuck gives us an insight on a significant moment of experiencing shame and how he took that specific moment to start a journey of looking at his sexual and emotional story. Tray and Chuck discuss the crisis of masculinity that faces our culture and society today. Chuck offers his opinion on how we need to address this issue and what Christian Men can do to help grow men up at an earlier age. Chuck is a professor of Counseling and Christian Spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI. He is also co-founder and Senior Fellow at Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco. He has spent the last 20+ years in a fluid combination of pastoral ministry, seminary teaching, and clinical counseling. His writings are mostly about the intersections of psychology, theology, and Christian spirituality with a focus on our lived experience of oneness and worthiness in Jesus. Prior to going to Western Theological Seminary, Chuck was a teaching pastor at City Church San Francisco, where he co-founded Newbigin House of Studies, an urban and missional training center. He has also started two church counseling centers, a Lay Counseling Program and a Fellows program. All of this represents his commitment to formation for mission. His first book is Leaving Egypt: Finding God in the Wilderness Places, which represents his narrative biblical paradigm for understanding counseling, care and formation.  His second book, The Toughest People to Love focuses on caring for the most difficult people leaders encounter. His third book Wholeheartedness brings a version of wholeness admit our perfectionism and shame-based culture. Chuck also has a self-published Lenten Devotional called Falling Into Goodness.